According to the Commissioners: 'There are concerns that increasing financial and demographic pressures might make it likely that more closures will be necessary.'

Why? The Commissioners blame a decline in church attendance, a shortage of clergy and the impact of the pandemic.

There are 16,000 Anglican churches in the UK. Even before the coronavirus crisis an average of 20-25 were being shut down every year.

Using the labels "orthodox" and "revisionist" to describe the synod members position on same-sex blessings he comes up with these results.

House of Clergy

Orthodox -- 79 (40%)
Revisionist -- 83 (42%)
Unknown -- 34 (17%)

House of Laity

Orthodox -- 73 (37%)
Revisionist -- 69 (35%)
Unknown -- 55 (28%)

Will history remember the Rev Marcus Walker as the pioneer leader of a new Anglican political movement, energised to reclaim political power from the Archbishop's greatly expanded secretariat at the beginning of the twenty first century?

Whatever the outcome, the 'Save the Parish' movement represents an attempt at a real challenge to the paradoxically contradictory liberal/evangelical theological reflexes of the Welby regime.

For example, some evangelical leaders are pessimistic about the immediate future, believing that we are heading for a crisis of doctrine and pastoral practice in the Church of England, as the make-up of the new Synod may contain large majorities in favour of a progressive approach to sex and gender ethics, and could vote through major changes to follow those made by Anglican churches in the US and Canada, Scotland, Brazil, New Zealand and most recently, Wales.